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| Laura Payne and Spencer Fowlie are volunteers with Engineers Without Borders. (Danny Abriel Photo) |
During his first two years as an environmental science and international development studies student, Spencer Fowlie started to believe he was powerless to alleviate the despair of the world.
鈥淚n the process of learning how the world works, you get a bit depressed about the injustices going on,鈥� says Mr. Fowlie, who was born in Saskatchewan but has lived in Canada, Switzerland and the United States. 鈥淚 now feel I can help make a difference.鈥�
His feelings changed upon discovering Engineers Without Borders (EWB), a non-profit organization that sends volunteers to less economically developed countries. Through EWB, Mr. Fowlie will head to Northern Ghana, from May to August, to work with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture.
鈥淚鈥檝e been spoon-fed all my life,鈥� says Mr. Fowlie. 鈥淚 want to get a sense of the vulnerabilities most people in the world experience and apply it to what I鈥檝e learned in the classroom to impact my own community, educating them about the issues faced by many groups in developing communities.鈥�
Last week, Mr. Fowlie participated in Leave Your Mark, an event organized by Laura Payne, incoming president of the AV俱乐部 EWB chapter. To raise money and awareness for EWB, people could impress their handprint on a map of the world, painted on a vacant wall. They hope others will be inspired to join EWB.
鈥淭hrough Leave Your Mark and EWB, hopefully students will be more cognizant of their impact on society,鈥� says Ms. Payne, third-year chemical engineering student and native of Corner Brook, Newfoundland. 鈥淓WB has done this for me.鈥�
Engineers Without Borders is open to people from any academic background. It encourages Canadians to engage in international development and work with local organizations to bring appropriate solutions to less developed communities.
鈥淚t focuses on people, their struggles and how technology can help,鈥� says Mr. Fowlie. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about bringing appropriate technology to developing communities,鈥� adds Ms. Payne. 鈥淵ou wouldn鈥檛 bring a farmer a tractor because he doesn鈥檛 have the means to repair it, so you help them build something they can sustain.鈥�
Traveling to Zambia with a Christian Mission school, Ms. Payne will teach children Sunday school, sports, swimming and piano. 鈥淚鈥檝e heard great stories and want to create my own,鈥� she says.
Upon returning, each EWB volunteer is required to educate Canadians on their experience. For more information on EWB visit or contact dal@ewb.ca. You can also follow Spencer Fowlie on his blog, .